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Learning more about wild boars

SINGAPORE: A nature group in Singapore is providing free lessons for children to learn more about wild boars.

This after news of wild boars wandering out of the forest and charging at people had raised some concerns among the public.
A wild boar had reportedly wandered out of the forest around Lower Peirce Reservoir and charged at a security guard and a five-year-old boy at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in June.

Children will learn more about the animals, like where they live, what they eat, and what dangers they face.

They will also be given practical tips on what they should do if they encounter a wild boar.

The group hopes to make such lessons a monthly affair, so as to raise awareness of the animals.

Vilma D'rozario, co-founder of Cicada Tree Eco-Place, said: "The wild pig is a native animal of Singapore and we feel that (they) have every right to be here and live wild and free... We will not be going into the forest and this event definitely does not really bring people close to (the animals). It's a lesson to teach kids about wild pigs."

One FC impresses sellout crowd at S'pore Indoor Stadium

SINGAPORE: Eighteen fighters fought it out in One Fighting Championship's Rise of the Kings event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

For the first time, the popular mixed martial arts competition had World Championship belts on offer.
Kim Soo Chul took the Bantamweight World Championship title - the first on offer for the evening.

Just 20 years old, the Korean is considered a veteran, and used his experience to inflict a knockout on Brazilian Leandro Issa in the second round.

Another knock out decided the Lightweight World Championship title.

Kotetsu Boku from Japan downed the taller Zorobabel Moreira, also from Brazil, early in the third round.

However, the main fight, the last one for the night, saw French MMA champ Arnaud Lepont battling Japan's Shinya Aoki - the face of the sport in Asia.

It did not take long, as Aoki won by submission just one-and-a-half minutes into the first round of the super-fight lightweight bout.

In the earlier match-up, Singapore's Bruce Loh, who was making his debut, suffered a knockout after just 33 seconds of the first round when Malaysian Gianna Subba landed a solid kick and punch to Loh's head.

ESM Goh to visit New York & Boston

Posted: 08 October 2012 1028 hrs

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong (file picture)

SINGAPORE: Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong will meet United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York and exchange views with him on current international developments and challenges.

They will do so during Mr Goh's visit to New York from 8 to 10 October and to Boston from 10 to 16 October.

He will also meet senior executives from key financial institutions in New York in his capacity as senior adviser to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and participate in a closed-door round table discussion with strategic thinkers from the Council on Foreign Relations.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Monday that Mr Goh is visiting Boston at the invitation of the Harvard University Asia Center as an Ezra F Vogel Distinguished Visitor.

He will deliver a public lecture at the Harvard University Asia Center on the topic "Navigating a Changing World: Perspectives of a Small State" on 15 October.

MFA said Mr Goh will also meet prominent academics from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University, as well as Singaporean students, while he is in Boston.

Aerial display at Bedok reservoir

Vania Lim flies Singapore flag as international wakeboarderssteal the show

by Deborah Ong
04:45 AM Oct 08, 2012

SINGAPORE- Asia's top wakeboarding stars were in action at Bedok Reservoir over the weekend at Wakefest Singapore 2012, a two-day affair jointly organised by Singapore Waterski and Wakeboard Federation and Singapore Management University (SMU).

The event drew a crowd of over a thousand spectators, including many tourists supporting their country's athletes.

While more than half of the 30 Singaporeans in the competition made it to the finals, the event missed a familiar face in Sasha Christian, the 2011 SEA Games champion who withdrew due to an injury.

National wakeboarding coach Paul Fong had decided that with the Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup just a month away, it was in 19-year-old Christian's best interest to focus on rest and recovery.

In Christian's absence, SMU graduate Vania Lim was the Republic's flagbearer in the women's open, and the 23-year-old did not disappoint with a third-place finish.

Her score of 38.13 put her behind South Korea's Yun Hee Hyun and Australia's Jaimi Oxlade, who took first and second respectively.

Lim, however, felt that it was not her best day out.

"I was disappointed with myself when I fell on my back roll," she said.

"I definitely have plans to continue wakeboarding, maybe even participate in the SEA Games. I tried my best today. It was a very difficult category to compete in."

Competitors in the women's and men's Open Finals - with no restrictions on routine or limitations on the number and types of tricks they could execute - drew the loudest gasps and cheers from spectators. Competitors are judged based on the intensity, composition and execution of their routines.

Men's Open winner, Ji Hoon of South Korea, was surprised with his win. Said the 21-year-old physical education student: "All the contestants in this category are very strong.

"I did not expect to win. I did all my tricks well. I did not fall and managed to stay on my feet even when there were some problems. Ultimately, I think it was my personal style that won the judges over."

Rising local stars the Gooi sisters - Jia Yi and Jia Hui - finished fourth and sixth respectively in the Women's Novice Category, meeting their own goals of making the finals.

"It was a really good experience for us," said 15-year-old Jia Hui. "Now that we know what our standards are relative to our competitors, we will definitely train harder and compete harder the next time."

For some of the international competitors, the event was an experience to savour.

"It is definitely a lot more relaxing in Singapore than in Indonesia. The weather and facilities are better," said Indonesia's Galuh Mutiara, who finished fourth in the women's Open.

Added men's open runner-up Yun Sang Hyun: "It is very different from Korea, there are so many people watching us."

Singapore is rich expats' top place to live and work: Survey

Singapore has emerged as the top place for wealthy expatriates to live and work in, a new survey by HSBC Bank has shown. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

By Aaron Low

Singapore has emerged as the top place for wealthy expatriates to live and work in, a new survey by HSBC Bank has shown.

Expats in the survey ranked Singapore first out of 30 countries based on economic factors such as earning power, disposable income and ability to accumulate luxuries.

Thailand was in the second spot, followed by Cayman Islands in third place. About 44 per cent of respondents said they saw a 50 per cent or more increase in their disposable income after they relocated to Singapore, the report said.

The report, which surveyed more than 5,000 expats in 100 countries, also said that 54 per cent of expats here earned more than US$200,000 (S$246,000) a year.They also ranked Singapore highly for its quality of life, placing the Republic fourth overall, especially for its safe environment in which to bring up children.

Better-designed eldercare centres can help turn 'Nimby' into 'Gimby'

MPs say this can help change residents' negative perception

Published on Oct 09, 2012

With more than 100 new eldercare facilities coming up within communities by 2016, MPs said better-designed facilities are one factor that can help turn Nimby (not in my backyard) sentiments into Gimby (good in my backyard) ones. -- ST PHOTO: NURIA LING

By Salma Khalik & Andrea Ong Health correspondent

With more than 100 new eldercare facilities coming up within communities by 2016, MPs said better-designed facilities are one factor that can help turn Nimby (not in my backyard) sentiments into Gimby (good in my backyard) ones.

This is especially so for nursing homes - 10 new ones will be built by 2015 - which tend to attract stronger opposition. By 2016, 56 senior activity centres and 39 senior care centres will also be built across the island.

The Government will be spending $500 million on these facilities as it gears up to meet the needs of an ageing population. Mr Sam Tan, MP for Radin Mas, thinks his residents will welcome the home that will be built in his constituency as it has a high proportion of elderly residents.

Residents seeking his help to place family members in a nursing home have asked for the facility to be near where they live to make it more convenient for regular visits, he said.

Singapore soldiers gear up for high-tech Exercise Wallaby

Published on Oct 09, 2012

After an intense training session held at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area. The RSAF ground crew at Rockhampton Airport performs routine checks on the AH-64Ds. The training session was part of Exercise Wallaby 2012, which is held in Shoalwater Bay from Sept 22 to Nov 24, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM

This July 30, 2011 file photo shows the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle as one of the military vehicles put on display during the Dynamic Defence Display segment of the National Day Parade Preview show at Marina Bay Floating Platform. -- BH PHOTO: JOHARI RAHMAT

http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/st...les/TUMB6e.jpg
The Bulletin, a local Rockhampton newspaper, also reported about the Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong who would be visiting Rockhampton to observe the Singapore Armed Forces taking part in Exercise Wallaby which is held at Shoalwater Bay. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM

By Jermyn Chow

ROCKHAMPTON (Queensland) - Singapore's soldiers and airmen are gearing up for one of the biggest and most complex unilateral war games in Queensland, Australia, scheduled to end on Nov 24.

The 65-day Exercise Wallaby will involve more than 4,300 air and ground troops, as well as some 350 war machines, including the Leopard 2SG main battle tanks and Apache attack helicopters.

Making its debut in the exercise is the army's latest armoured infantry carrier, Terrex. Some 50 Terrex "battlefield taxis" and 700 foot soldiers from the 5th Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment are being put through their paces in their first major overseas exercise since the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) declared its motorised infantry capabilities battle-ready last year.

Colonel Seet Uei Lim, who is overseeing the first of three phases of the war games, said Queensland's rugged and unfamiliar terrain will push the troops and Terrex to the limits.

Researchers find new way of killing chikungunya virus

Intravenous method helps prevent onset of virus, can kill virus within three days

by Zhao Quan Yin
04:45 AM Oct 10, 2012

SINGAPORE - Researchers from the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine have identified a method that can kill the chikungunya virus within three days.

Currently, there are no specific drugs to cure a person infected with the virus, and treatment is directed primarily at relieving the symptoms such as fever and severe joint pains.

But the study showed that a molecular approach could help kill the virus completely through an intravenous method, which could also help prevent the onset of the chikungunya virus as it helps protect individuals against the virus for 15 days.

It employs small hairpin RNA technology (shRNA) designed against two specific CHIKV genes, so as to "silence" the virus replication.

First, the shRNA vector is delivered into a human cell, causing the cell to produce shRNA molecules on a long-term basis.

Upon its expression in the cell, shRNA is processed to smaller siRNA molecules, which then destroy the virus genes and hence block their production.

NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine's Lead Principal Investigator, Dr Chu Jang Hann, said: "Currently, we do not have so many cases of chikungunya virus infection although we had a breakout between 2008 and 2010 - we had close to 1,000 cases."

The past two years saw fewer cases, but it could return for another "explosive" round of infections in Singapore, he added.

The researchers are planning to improve the gene silencing technology for better anti-viral efficacy, and improve safety profile for delivery into human cells.

The study took about two years to complete and was funded by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Biomedical Research Council. Zhao Quan Yin

Republic Poly, Pratt & Whitney to work together to train aviation professionals

Posted: 09 October 2012 1939 hrs

SINGAPORE : Republic Polytechnic (RP) and aviation industry giant Pratt & Whitney will work together to train aviation professionals to be industry-ready.

They signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday.

Under the MOU, Pratt & Whitney will provide internships and industrial attachments regularly to the polytechnic students for each year through its Global Service Partners' Singapore-based facilities.
It will also develop a six-year fast track programme at one of its facilities, Turbine Overhaul Services, for recruited graduates from the RP School of Engineering.

Pratt & Whitney will sponsor their Bachelor's degree.

When they complete the programme, they will be converted to full-time salaried employees, providing Pratt & Whitney with a pool of qualified engineers as well as allowing RP students to enter the workforce quickly as competent and skilled engineers.
Pratt & Whitney will also sponsor RP students through scholarships or book prizes, starting with RP's Gold Medal Award for the most outstanding graduate from the Aerospace Engineering programme.

Eco features earn estate top honours

SINGAPORE - Beyond their waterfront view, residents of Punggol Spring now have one more thing to brag about - their estate's award-winning eco-friendly credentials.

Punggol Spring is one of the winners of this year's Housing and Development Board (HDB) Construction Awards, which will be presented next week at the HDB Awards gala dinner.

This year, the awards will recognise newly-built residential projects such as Punggol Spring, Damai Grove, and Ghim Moh Valley for their innovation and higher levels of productivity in the construction process.

Completed in March last year, Punggol Spring consists of five 17-storeys blocks. The 494-unit development has sustainable features such as a bioswale - a filtration system - and uses recycled timber.

It also has design features meant to aid ventilation and allow for natural lighting.

According to the precinct's project director Tony Ng, the blocks of flats are oriented north-south to take advantage of the natural air flow of the area. The windows of the development are also bigger than those of older HDB developments.

The bioswale, which is located at the centre spine of the development, is an eco-friendly filtration system that replaces the usual concrete drains that usually snake around HDB estates. The bioswale has the additional function of being able to retain water, helping to water the greenery above during dry spells.

Mr Ng said that the bioswale, although not new in HDB developments, will be a feature in more coming HDB projects.

The timber bridge, which links Punggol Spring to the neighbouring development, is made of recycled timber, which does not compromise the aesthetical value of the structures and has proven to be more durable than commonly-used timber.

Associate Executive Aaron Gan, 33, who moved into his unit in January, said of his home: "Everything is new and advanced and very different from where I used to live."

Punggol Spring's bioswale, an eco-friendly filtration system that replaces concrete drains, can retain water to nourish greenery above it during dry spells. Photo by OOI BOON KEONG

Covering our 'super seniors' for a lifetime

by Anthony Chia
04:45 AM Oct 10, 2012

To the young, living to age 100 feels like a fantasy, and even reaching retirement seems like many lifetimes away. Yet, to the Beatles generation, When I'm Sixty-Four is no longer just a catchy song but a reality.

While the younger generation is duly preoccupied with whether they will have enough in their Central Provident Fund (CPF) account to buy their first home, the larger picture is that nearly half the population will live to 85, a quarter will live past 90 and almost 4 per cent will be centenarians.

To the potential Golden Ager, the prospect of outliving one's resources is all too real given rising standards of living and healthcare costs.

Furthermore, most of those living past 90 will not be able to depend on their children (if they have any) as they too will be retired.

So what policy changes should we consider to ensure our senior citizens receive better health financing and security post retirement? And how should such extended benefits be paid for?

LONGER COVERAGE, CAPPED PREMIUMS

It may be too much to hope for hospitalisation bills to be entirely covered by state subsidies, Medisave or one's CPF-approved health insurance plan. But we can aim for all outpatient charges to be waived or covered, or at least pegged to a level comparable with what Civil Service pensioners enjoy; as well as free, or notionally priced, medication beyond a certain age - say, 20 years after the prevailing retirement age.

For convenience, let us call this the Golden Year.

All CPF-approved health insurance plans could be revised to provide cover until death.

MediShield, a catastrophic illness insurance plan, only covers up to age 85; and not all of the related Private Integrated Shield plans provide lifetime coverage. In the case of severe disability insurance scheme ElderShield, the payouts are for a maximum of 72 months.

As premiums for such products tend to go up with age, there should be a cap on premium rates beyond the Golden Year.

The various managers and actuaries of the different CPF insurance schemes are naturally protective about the viability of each scheme, and tend to make conservative assumptions about survivality, adverse selection and so on.

The end-result is that such schemes' "reserves" tend to accumulate as the worst-case scenario is unlikely to materialise for all the schemes year after year. Golden Agers end up bearing the brunt of this "kiasu" approach, in the form of higher premiums or lower benefits.

I hope to see all such CPF insurance schemes follow the actual Mortality Tables compiled by the Department of Statistics, without adverse modification.

Actuaries should also be instructed to assume that there are no survivors after age 99. This would reduce premiums or increase benefits for all.

This suggestion is not made lightly, as the potential number of centenarians, while quite small presently, appears to be growing rapidly (see table). The Government should reinsure (that is, compensate) the insurers for any actual losses they would suffer from these changes. It might be hoped that through the National Conversation, Singaporeans will come to a consensus that Golden Agers and centenarians should be treated with honour.

LOWER CPF INTEREST rate FOR FOREIGNERS

To pay for the above proposals, I suggest that we acknowledge that the CPF scheme must primarily be about Singaporeans, for Singaporeans. Foreigners should continue to contribute CPF, so as to level the employment field, but they should receive a lower rate of interest.

Is this unfair? I submit that generally, non-Singaporeans are shorter-term CPF account holders. Therefore, their interest rates should be lower; more in line with fixed deposit rates or short-term government bonds, rather than the higher rates of 4 per cent and 2.5 per cent given now for the Special and Ordinary accounts (benchmarked to 30-year government bond rates).

For foreigners who commit to taking up citizenship, CPF can recalculate the higher interest due to them for, say, the previous 10 years. Those who casually take up citizenship and give it up later should be penalised.

Long-time permanent residents and stateless persons who have repeatedly failed to acquire citizenship despite applying, and who have no other countries to go to, should be treated on par with Singaporeans since they will likely live out their retirement years in Singapore.

The issue of how to treat Malaysians is rather tricky, as they cannot withdraw their CPF till age 55. So paying them a short-term rate may be rather unfair. This is an issue that policy-makers would have to work out; however, this anomally should not be the reason to reject this idea, since our focus should be about putting Singaporeans first.

Lest I be accused of being xenophobic, consider the following. Many Employment Pass holders have their own national retirement schemes to count on and their CPF money is "bonus". Some others avoid taking up citizenship, or have only one spouse take up the invitation. Many have good personal reasons such as wanting to buy or keep land in their birth country for retirement, which they cannot do as Singaporeans.

Individuals should not be condemned for seeking the best advantage for themselves, but with a "Singaporeans First" policy, we can ensure that a larger part of CPF monies goes to Singaporeans, in particular, the "Super Seniors" for easing their Golden Years.

Anthony Chia occupied senior management positions in MediaCorp and NTUC Income. He is now a part-time management and media consultant.

NUS Business School MBA programmes ranked among the best

Published on Oct 15, 2012

The National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School's double-degree programme with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) climbed up the rankings globally, according to the Financial Times' Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) Rankings 2012. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

The National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School's double-degree programme with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) climbed up the rankings globally, according to the Financial Times' Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) Rankings 2012.

Its ranking at fifth meant that it moved up from ninth place last year.

In a statement on Monday morning, the NUS said that the UCLA-NUS Executive MBA fared well in several categories, particularly in the area of salaries.

Its 77 per cent increase in post-graduation salary was higher than the average increases seen by participants of the four top-ranked programmes, it said.

Nuclear technology not suitable for Singapore yet

CURRENT nuclear energy technology is not suitable for Singapore yet, a pre-feasibility study has concluded. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

By Grace Chua

CURRENT nuclear energy technology is not suitable for Singapore yet, a pre-feasibility study has concluded.

Second Minister for Trade and Industry Mr S Iswaran said in Parliament on Monday the risks to Singapore of housing a plant to generate electricity from nuclear reactions, given that the island-state is small and dense, "still outweigh the benefits at this point".

But the two-year pre-feasibility study, done by government agencies, external consultants and independent expert advisers in response to an Economic Strategies Committee recommendation in 2010, did not rule out nuclear energy altogether, and recommended Singapore continue to monitor the development of new nuclear energy technologies.

Singapore needs to strengthen its capabilities to understand nuclear science and technology, and in emergency response and radioactive waste disposal, Mr Iswaran said.

S'pore must keep religion and politics separate: DPM Teo

Published on Oct 15, 2012

A CLEAR line must be maintained between politics and religion in Singapore, or the country risks a breakdown in social harmony, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Monday. --ST PHOTO: RAJENDRAN NADARAJAN

By Tessa Wong

A CLEAR line must be maintained between politics and religion in Singapore, or the country risks a breakdown in social harmony, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Monday.

While individuals are free to exercise their political rights, religious organisations cannot cross into politics and vice versa, he said.

He was responding in Parliament to questions from Nominated Members of Parliament Laurence Lien and Eugene Tan on the Government's stance on keeping religion and politics separate.

DPM Teo noted that there are many examples of countries where religious differences have caused deep social divides and conflict.

ITE student-chefs go to class, in France

Two-week stint to learn finer points of restaurant business at famed institute

Published on Oct 15, 2012

During the two-week course at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France last month, (from left) Shaun Santokh Singh Gill, 21, Justin Michael Wee, 20, Jessica Tan, 22, Norhaidah Ramlee, 23, and 15 of their classmates learnt the basics of cooking as well as how to plan menus, buy ingredients and hire staff. -- PHOTO: MIKE LEE FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

While in France, the experience of using fresh green peas from the pod and crisp carrots still caked in soil, rather than "frozen produce from a packet", gave the 21-year-old a fresh perspective on cooking.

He and 18 other classmates from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) visited famed cooking school Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon for two weeks last month. His class is the pioneer batch in the technical diploma in culinary arts offered by ITE since April last year, in collaboration with the French school. All students need to make the two-week learning trip to Lyon. ITE subsidises the cost of the trip.

The main takeaway from the overseas jaunt: that high-quality ingredients make a superior dish. To this end, the students attended seminars on seafood, cheese and wine, and visited farms and vineyards - including the one that produces the Beaujolais Nouveau brand of wine.

Background story

DEMAND FOR SKILLS
We hope to meet the needs of these aspiring restaurants, and at the same time provide our students with a good learning environment where they can grow their skills and develop a long-standing career in the culinary field, with French chefs as their mentors and coaches.

Singapore firms catch on to beat of Latin America

Published on Oct 14, 2012

Keppel Fels construction manager Jansen Chua, 28, was sent to Brazil for two years to lead a team of 10 Brazilian supervisors at a shipyard in Angra Dos Reis, in Rio de Janeiro state. He says learning to speak Portugese was invaluable in gaining his colleagues' trust and acceptance. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF JANSEN CHUA

By Himaya Quasem

LAST year, Singaporean firm Marshall Cavendish helped the Chilean government launch a pilot scheme to teach Singapore-style maths to schoolchildren.

After the company sent staff to train the local education authorities, more than 60,000 primary schoolchildren in 300 schools in Chile are now learning mathematics the Singapore way.

Marshall Cavendish is just one of at least 100 Singapore firms with a presence in the home of samba and sombreros. From teaching maths to selling drilling rigs, branching into Latin America is adding up to good business for many Singaporean firms.
Bilateral trade between Singapore and Latin America topped S$37 billion last year.